Online Learning: Experience to Learn By
An online learning experience is an excellent way to get an education and broaden your career opportunities with a flexibility and convenience you cannot find in a traditional on-campus class. However, before committing to the time and potential cost of an online class or degree, it is important to consider just what you are taking on. For example, what type of online class will work best for you, an independent study class or one led by a facilitator? Where is the best location for you to study? Do you have the time to put into the class in order to meet your online learning goals?
CourseAdvisor talked to Angela, a New York City student who recently took an online class, to find out about her online learning experience.
What kind of online class did you take?
I took a free online class called Intro to HTML.
Did you take an online class led by a facilitator or an independent study?
The class was an independent, work at your own pace class. I would not have taken it otherwise.
Why did you take this online class?
I took the class to beef up my résumé and open doors for myself in my current field of publishing. When I started looking for jobs I quickly realized that I was perfect for them in every way, except for one thing: I was lacking HTML skills. By taking the HTML online class, it gave me total flexibility of time, I could get the knowledge I needed with no pressure and without interfering with my personal and professional life. And, of course, it was free. I had everything to gain.
How did you prepare for the online class?
If I was taking the class towards a degree, I probably would have done more to prepare for it. However, it was a work at your own pace type situation so I would work on it at my leisure and if or when I stopped, would pick up where I left off the next time.
In your online learning experience, how much time per week did you study?
The class was broken up into sections and once you completed a section there was a multiple-choice quiz at the end, to test your knowledge of the material. If you didn’t do well on the test, you had the option to go back and re-read the section's materials and take the quiz again. There was no time limit. So, given that flexibility, the hours I put in each week varied depending on my schedule. The first week I did around 3 hours, the second week around one hour, and the following few weeks I probably spent 4-5 hours studying.
To be clear, I was using this class to get as much knowledge as I possibly could on the subject. It was a situation where I could only stand to gain. I didn't need to take it; I took it for myself, so anything I learned was useful and to my advantage.
In your online learning experience, what study habits worked and what didn’t work?
Working at home was really distracting; I found myself emailing, wanting to do dishes or play online word games with friends rather than read the materials. I had the most success when I left home and went to a coffee shop. It gave me a sense of structure — I knew I was there for the specific purpose of studying and I was also aware of being there for a set amount of time, helping me focus and be productive. Plus, there were fewer distractions at a coffee shop.
What happens when you finish the online class?
Once you get to the last topic of the last unit, the program informs you that you've completed the course. At that point you have the option to print your scores and a mastery certificate. The scores are based on how well you did on the many quizzes.
Looking back on your online learning experience, what would you do differently next time?
I finished 75% of the course so if I had to do it again, I would take a class that cost money and that has an instructor. Working on my own, I had no sense of accountability for my work — nothing was "due." I know that if I had to pay for the class, and had to work within a set time frame, it would have given me much more motivation to finish.
What was most unexpected or most interesting thing you discovered through your online learning experience?
There was an interesting twist in my situation, which was that the very things that attracted me to the class — it was free, and I could work independently and at my own pace — were the same things that made it difficult to complete. That said, the bonus of independent study meant that when I found something particularly challenging, there was no pressure to move forward so I could take as long as I needed to really grasp it, which was effective. I had a solid sense that I learned something and that was a great feeling.
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Sarah Durning is a Content Editor at Avenue100 Media Solutions.